University Learning Goals
A Liberal Arts Foundation
Our approach to liberal arts education produces Fearless Problem Solvers. Our values and tradition serve as guideposts to our learning goals of developing intellect, character, service and leadership. Before you excel as a public accountant, a human resource manager for a major retailer, a financial analyst charting the biotech industry or a marketing lead for a fast-moving entertainment start-up, you will need to flex and build your mental muscle, starting with the essential powers of critical and analytical thinking.
Why study history, literature, philosophy, music, or art in addition to your business core? Because your entire life — and every business you touch — will be served by a few key thinking habits:
- Making sense of the unfamiliar by means of the familiar.
- Grasping the underlying grammar (organized solutions, hierarchical procedures, rational sequences) of problem-solving.
- Holding to your independent thinking, in the face of pressures, distortions, and overemphasized truths.
- Drawing fresh ideas from a storehouse of seemingly random material.
The key to Boler’s excellence is firmly rooted in the John Carroll liberal arts philosophy.
Building Off Of The University Learning Goals
The vision of Jesuit higher education for the twenty-first century is to graduate individuals with well-educated solidarity who are contemplatives in action–morally responsible, aware of the fundamental challenges facing the modern world, with a depth of knowledge and strength of character to work creatively and compassionately for a more just and humane society.
Within this vision, a John Carroll education is distinguished by respect and care for the whole person (cura personalis), innovative teaching, and integrated learning across the entire student experience. A commitment to excellence and academic rigor animates our way of proceeding–graduating individuals of intellect and character who lead and serve by engaging the world around them and around the globe.
We express this commitment in terms of the following four university learning goals informed by our Jesuit, Catholic heritage:
John Carroll students will be transformed by an integrative curriculum, in-depth study within their program(s) of study, and applied learning to fully realize their potential to enrich the world. To achieve this level of engaged learning, our students will:
- Develop habits of critical analysis and aesthetic appreciation
- Understand the religious dimensions of human experience
- Demonstrate an integrative knowledge of human and natural worlds
- Apply creative and innovative thinking
- Communicate skillfully in multiple forms of expression
- Demonstrate a capacity to engage in respectful civil discourse
John Carroll students will develop a holistic awareness of self and others, acting with integrity and moral purpose for the good of society. Amidst a diverse community of learners and inspired by the Ignatian tradition of finding God in all things, our students will:
- Cultivate a habit of reflection
- Understand, value, and respect their own and others’ talents, unique characteristics, and socio-cultural identities
- Develop a personal belief system that is inspired by Ignatian values such as rigor, generosity, gratitude, inclusivity, solidarity, and a desire for the greater good
- Practice mature decision-making and care for the whole person
- Act competently in a global and diverse world
John Carroll students will recognize themselves as agents of positive change with and for others. Integrating faith and reason to meet the world’s needs through ethical leadership, our students will:
- Claim their identities as discerning leaders
- Apply a framework for examining ethical dilemmas
- Employ leadership and collaborative skills
- Live responsibly in accord with their personal belief system
John Carroll students will advocate for social justice through responsible service in their local, national, and global communities. Informed by our collective faith traditions, prepared by scholarship, and in solidarity with the poor and the marginalized, our students will:
- Understand and promote social justice
- Work actively toward creating a more inclusive, welcoming, and just community
- Serve in their communities as engaged citizens and advocates
